# How do I stop my hair from fading?



## southcitybabe

I went from blonde to brown about 5 weeks ago. I loved it! A little dark than I wanted but she said after a few washes it would fade, but I got use to it and liked it anyway, I had my extensions done to match and now only a few weeks later. Its faded! It looks awfull, I noticed it a while ago it had faded, but why so soon? Im annoyed I paid alot for it to be done and now the browns pretty much gone it looks a horrible blondey/gingery color.

Is there anything I can do to stop the fading, Im hoping to go back next week to get it redone, But I cant keep affording to get it all redone every few weeks. I do wash my hair every 2-3 days depending on if im going anywhere I normally try dry shampoo if I dont want to wash and just make it fresher.

Someone please help


----------



## magneticheart

What kind of shampoo do you use?

If you're not already using a shampoo for coloured hair then that will make a big difference. You could buy a shampoo that just says 'for coloured hair' or one for brown hair and that should help keep your colour from fading. You can also try leave in conditioners. Some of those will say on the bottle that they're for coloured hair and if you're not already using heat defense spray when you're straightening and drying your hair I'd try that too because heat can frazzle the colour and make it look duller.

Hope I helped


----------



## Dragonfly

I have heard that washing hair frequently - more than twice a week - can cause hair colour to fade. In fact, the longer you wait, the better because it is the water that removes the colour.

And I agree with Magneticheart about coloured shampoos and conditioners.

John Frieda also offers a coloured glaze that you can apply every two weeks as well.


----------



## southcitybabe

I was using whatever we had at first, Paul mitchell but normally we only buy for colored hair or damaged hair, then bought some from the hairdressers for colored hair aswell as their heat protection spray. my bf said it was probably a wash in dye, but it wasnt but it does seem as if it was!


----------



## magneticheart

Hmm, that does sound strange!

I've never gone from blonde to brown but maybe that has something to do with it? Going from a light colour to a dark colour might mean the colour fades faster although I'd think after a 2 or 3 dyes it would start to stay better.


----------



## horsienut

Some things I do to keep my ash brown color from fading:

Use a color-treated shampoo. Currently I'm using Ion Color Solutions.

Use cold water (as cold as you can stand it)

Use a UV-protective spray (I use an Ion leave-in UV spray)

I wash my hair every day and the first few days I color it's a little dark but after a few days it lightens to what I believe it the "true" shade, and it stays the same color for 4 weeks until I recolor.

I color at home with Ion permanent color (Sally Beauty), I think it fades less than the other brands I've tried. I also add Ardell Unred to make it ashier and help prevent fading.

Some brands of color fade more than others - I would ask if the colorist can use a different brand or formulate it differently to prevent fading.


----------



## vesna

I've had problems with my hair colour fading in the past. I dye my hair very dark brown, almost black. My natural colour is much lighter than this. It always annoyed me that after a few weeks my dark colour would have faded to a medium brown no matter what brand of dye was used.

However, I don't get this problem so much anymore and the dye takes a lot longer to fade.

Firstly, like the others have said, use a shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair. Many brands do ranges specifically for brunette hair. I use Tresemme shampoo and conditioner for brunettes. It's great.

I also agree with horsienut about the cold water. I love taking cold showers anyway so I find this pretty easy but I know a lot of people don't like the idea of showering in cold water. Just go as cold as you can go and make sure you blast it with super cold water right at the end when you're just about to get out of the shower. The cold water stops colour from fading as much and makes your hair softer and shinier.

Also, a product that I love is Tresemme Colour Lock Leave-in Conditioning spray. You spray it onto towel dried hair when you get out of the shower and comb it through. I definitely see and improvement in the longevity of my colour since I started using this.

Lastly, use a heat protection spray if you use any heated styling products. But make sure to read the back and see what temperature it protects up to because if, for instance, your straightening irons are hotter than what the spray can protect against then there isn't much point. Like horsienut said, look for UV protective sprays so that your hair is protected against the sun which can lighten your hair.


----------



## kenzierosaline

craaap, i had the same issue. my hair throws off so much gold, four days later i'm ginga.

i go back to blonde within a few weeks too. Soooo annoying.

Don't use any shampoo with a silicone product in it or the colour just slips right out. This is what my hairdresser told me.

I haven't figured out how to keep it brunette yet.

lame!


----------



## LaItaliana

aah I feel your pain. My hair is actually light mousy brown, which is a color I try to avoid b/c its not very cute to me. So yeah I've been dying it for years and years to dark &amp; medium brown, which fails everytime b/c it fades right back to that lovely mousy color.

I feel like its inevitable and the shampoos have never really worked for me. The "best" color shampoos usually don't contain Sodium Laurel Sulfate or whatever and when I use those, my hair is GRIMY! so I end up having to use a stronger shampoo to make it feel clean, which strips the color. So I'm living with what I've got :


----------



## MACGoddess

I have been studying hair a lot the last several mos. bc I have started doing my own. When you go darker especially if you were light before (blonde) you have to almost put "filler" color into your hair color along with the color you want it to be.

I get my advice from a very experienced hair colorist, she says when you lighten your hair (or even if it is already light) it has less pigment to it. When you have dark hair and lighten it, you go through stages of lightening to get to the blonde stage, so when you darken, you have to add those stages/fillers back into the hair. I think she adds in a darker red base and maybe even a darker brown/gold base as well with the dark brown to give it some richness.

Also make sure whatever shampoo you use is not only for color treated hair but it also has NO SULFATES of any kind whatsoever... Nothing... It will contribute to fading. I last colored my hair at the beginning of January and I still have yet to color it again. I also color with red, so it "fades fast" but I: 1) heavily moisturize my hair since it can be dry anyway, 2) wash only 2x a week tops, 3) sleep in a special condish once a week-ish, and generally baby my hair.


----------



## roxxi

has anyone got any good tips on how to stop light brown hair fading so *quickly *  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I recently went from light blonde to light brown, i decided to go to the hairdressers as their meant to be more expeirenced, i spoke to the hairdresser and told her i wanted light brown hair as this is closest to my natural colour.  a week later my colour had faded to a dark dirty blonde which looked dull and awful, ive been using john frieda brilliant brunette.

i have to wash my hair everyday which doesnt really help as this makes the colour fade a lot quicker

if anyone could get back to me i would be grateful x


----------



## EasyJay

i had the exact same problem. i had bleached foils put in my hair and after a year i wanted to go brown. i went to the hair dresser and she said that when you dye your hair blonde then go to a darker colour its going to fade, so you have to keep dying it the colour you want until it no longer fades. she explained it to me like fish scales on a fish. you have to keep putting more water (hair dye) through the scales for the water (dye) to stay. if that makes sense. my hair faded on my first wash after i got it done and i have just recently dyed it again but i did a wash out in 28 washes and now i wash my hair 1-2 times a week and hasnt faded as much. i use 2 different shampoos and conditioners, treseme for hair colour and heat defence, only because i dont like my hair being curly so i straighten it all the time. just buy a do it yourself hair dye, they arent as expensive as the hairdressers and doesnt take as long. Hope this helped  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />


----------

